Automatic train control



- "w. K; HOWE; AUTOMATIC TRAIN comm. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15.1915.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

o iTEn .s:rAT s rA Enr oFmoE.

WINTHROP or nocH srEn, 4 11K, nssrcuvon {1'0 GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNALCOMPANY, or earns, NEW YORK, -A coRPoRA'rIoNcF NEW YORK.

Tacit whom itmay concern: K j

Be it known that I, Wm'rrmor K. Hows, acitizen of the United States, anda resident a -of theicity of Rochester, in the countyof control ofmovable vehicles, and particularly suchmova'ble vehicles as =moveuponzrailway tracks. W

' The primary ob ectof 131113 lnventlon 1s .QlSllGl'l, a connection andarrangement-of the means locatedon a vehicle which contacts with devices:placed along the right of :way, as will enable the movement,ofi-thetrain to be controlled irrespective of thevparticular end of :the car,upon which the devices "are placed, is ahead during the movement'o'f thetrain.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of :theinvention pro- :gresses, and the novel features of the intion appliedthereto.

vention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 7

In describing the inventionindetail, reference ishad to the accompanyingdrawing,

wherein has 'been illustrated a preferred physical embodiment of theinvention by v 'a single figure 'which is a schematic illustra tion of arailwaycar withrapphcants invenway track of which 2 designates the otherrail. r

The wheels of "the car are designated by 3, 4, 5, and:6,-1and theaxlesconnecting the wheels, by 7 and-8, and the journal boxes supporting*the axles, byr9 and 10. The

journal boxes supportsidevbars 11 and12, which for simplicity areassumed 'to. be made of suitable insulating material. These side 7 barsat any appropriate place, as at "either,

end thereoflisupport contacting shoes, as 13,

portions 13 14 15 and 16 which thereby 'form shoulders,whiclnbycontacting with theaprojecting members 17 18, =19 and 20,

respect1vely,1prevent the shoes j13, 1 4, 15 and 16 from "beingdepressed toofar when not incontact with aranip, as 21. Between thelmembers lf, 18, 19 and 20 am collars, as 13 14 15 and 16 are locatedsprings 22, 23,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Pate teas t. 1:6, 1919.

Application filed January 15, 1915. Serial No. 2,384.

24 and 25, which positively move the shoes 13, 14, 15 and 16respectively to their lower position, when they are not in contact witha ramp, as 21.

WVhen themembers 13, 14,15 and 16 are in their. lower positions, asshown, the upper enlarged ends are out of contact with the resilient:members26, 27,28 and 29, which then contact with "the members 30, 31,32 and 33 respectively. When :any one shoe is raised, however, that shoecauses a resilient member, as 26, 27 28 or 29, located justabove it,:to' move out of contact with the corresponding member 30, 31, 32 01'33. This upward movement of shoe 13 is caused by its contacting with aramp, :as '21. a

'lVith all of the parts in the position as shown in the drawings therelay '34 is =energized by a circuit in which current iflows members 30,31,32 or 33. If any one of the 1 shoes 13,14, 15 or .16,-however, should0011- l tact with a 1 ramp, as 121, some one o fi the 1 'N'umera'lrldesignates one rail of :a -rail- One terminal of the battery 45, wirerelay 35, wire 52, journal box 9, axle 7,

wheel 4, rail 2, wire 53 to theother terminal ofthe battery 45. Currentflowing in the above ltraced :path would energize the relay 35 and cause.its armature 35 to be raised, thereby closing :a circuit through therelay 34, in which current flows as follows: One terminal of battery 57,wires "36 and 54, armature35' wires 55 and 43, relay 34 and wire to'theother terminal of the battery 57 The last two above traced circuitswould be formed by the contacting of any shoe, :as 13,14, 15 or 16, withanenergized ramp, as 21, and would so cause an energization ofrelay34:,Wvhich would then be maintained energized by the circuithereinbefore described, which includes in series with it all of themovable members 26, 27, 28 and 29.

The relay 34 has another armature 34 which may be employed in any wellknown or appropriate manner, in any way desired, to control the movementof the train, as for instance, by acting upon a brake valve magnet 56.

From the above description it will be seen that the car carrying theshoes may move upon the track with either its head end forward, or itsrear end forward, and will always have a shoe, as 13, let, 15 or 16, inposition-to be contacted by the trackway devices as ramps located on oneside only of the trackway, and that the contact of any shoe with a rampwill control the relay 34: exactly as would the contact of any othershoe with a ramp, or that the shoes may contact with and cooperate witha ramp placed on either side of the trackway.

Although I have particularly described the construction of one physicalembodiment of my invention, and explained the operation and principlethereof; nevertheless, I desire to have it understood that the formselected is merely illustrative, but does not exhaust the possiblephysical embodiments of the idea of means underlying my invention.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is:

1. In a system for protecting railway traffic, means for establishingconnnunication between a railway track and a vehicle adapted to travelthereon comprising impulse devices located at intervals along the track,two cooperating impulse devices carried by the vehicle on each sidethereof, said impulse devices on the vehicle on either side thereofbeing located at the same distance from the corresponding end of thevehicle, whereby an impulse may be transmitted to the vehicle at thesame point in its travel irrespective of the direction in which it isheaded.

2. In a system for protecting railway trafiic, means for establishingcommunica- .tion between a railway track and a vehicle adapted to travelthereon comprising ramps located at intervals along the track, twocontact shoes carried by the vehicle on each side thereof and adapted toform electricalcontact with said ramps and to be mechanically movedthereby, the contact shoes on eitherside of the vehicle being locatedthe same distance from the corresponding end of the vehicle, trafficprotecting means having a tendency to assume its active condition, acircuit for normally holding said trailic protecting means in itsinactive condition controlled separately by said contact shoes, and apartial circuit having multiple branches to said shoesfor conductingelectrlcal energy from the ramps to the traflic protecting means on theVehicle.

3. In a system for protecting railway traflic, means for establishingcommunication between a railway track and a vehlcle adapted to travelthereon comprising ramps located at intervals along the track, two con-,

tact shoes carried by the vehicle on each side thereof and located thesame distance from the corresponding end of the vehlcle,

said shoes being arranged to make electricaltained normally inactive bycurrent in either c1rcu1t andhavmg a tendency to assume 1tsactivecondition.

4. In a traflic protecting system for railways, in combination: avehicle and a track thereforyramps located at intervals along the track;a shoe carried by the vehicle on each side thereof, said shoes beingarranged to engage said ramps and being adapted to be displaced by suchengagement; a normally closed circuit controller operated by each shoeand opened upon displacement of that shoe; a control relay 011 thevehicle having a pickup circuit and a normally closed stick circuitincluding said relay, said stick circuit including said circuit. controllers in'series; another relay on the vehicle controlling the pickupcircuit of the first relay; a normally open partial circuit includingsaid another relay and having multiple branches terminating at therespective shoes; and traffic controlledmeans for supplying electricalenergy to said ramps for energizing said another relay.

5. In a system for protecting railwg'ay traffic, the combination with avehicle and automatic train control apparatus therefor, of means forestablishing communication between the track and the vehicle comprisingtrackway impulse devices located at intervals along the track andadapted to cooperate with impulse devices carried by the vehicle, thevehicle carried impulse devices being located one on each side of thevehicle and substantially the same distance from the corresponding endthereof, said trackw y impulse devices having a tendency whencooperating with a vehicle carried impulse device to set the traincontrol apparatus on the vehicle into operation, and

means for placing the trackWay impulse devices into condition to preventsuch operation of the train control apparatus.

6. In a system for protecting railway traflic, the combination with avehicle and automatic train control apparatus therefor, of a controlrelay on the vehicle for governing said apparatus having a stick circuitand a pickup circuit, impulse devices located at intervals along thetrack, impulse devices carried by the vehicle one on each side thereofand each adapted to cooperate with the trackway impulse devices andcause interruption of the stick circuit, and means for placing thetrackWay impulse devices in condition to cause energization of thepick-up circuit of the control relay.

WINTHROP K. HOWE.

WVitnesses:

SOPHIE LEVIN, GEORGE T. WHITNEY.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

